The Days Go By...

Ok. So maybe I should stop trying to change things and/or situations and accept them as they are, whether or not I feel as though that is the best thing to do. I have just over seven months left in Korea, and I think I finally reached a point where I can finally relax. Living in another country is an experience everyone should have. It has certainly opened my eyes to many things. Not only do I know the extent to what I am capable of, but I have come to realize, and grow into, my cultural acceptance and awareness. Regardless of where I travel, whether to France, Thailand, or South Africa, I will always compare everything I do and see, as well as any and every cultural idiosyncrasy I become aware of, to that of my home in America. It's a natural response to being in an environment other than your own. Everyone has comforts, routines, and lifestyles that were either innate or learned. For years, the constant of those comforts, routines, and lifestyles mold and shape our expectations of what is and should be. Moving to another country upsets this whole process. It helps one learn that what he or she thought what is and should be isn't always so; that things can be changed. Comforts, routines, and lifestyles may be different from culture to culture, but they should still be accepted as such. Koreans are different from Americans in many ways, but their cultural idiosyncrasies work for them. They may bump people on the street and not say sorry, chew food with their mouth open, slurp up noodles with one big gulp with spit and broth flying as they do, feel as though it is not necessary to turn on the A/C in the summer because it wastes energy, recycle everything without washing it first, or leave every public bathroom without soap or toilet paper, but that's what works for them. Thinking in the terms of a Korean, as best I can, it is what they have done all of their lives, and it works for them. And eventually, you don't even see Koreans for the cultural idiosyncrasies that once drove you crazy or just got under your skin. Instead, you see them for the warm-hearted, kind, and generous people that they are. People who will welcome you into their homes, shower you with food and gifts that are symbolic of their culture, offer up their help to you in any way they can, and have no intention of treating anyone badly or stealing from them. However, sometimes you have to live in a culture to see past your first impression.